Monday, September 16, 2013

Dreaming together... Developing Your Family Vision.

Ignite the Fire Christian Marriage blog Series...It’s time with Sheila and her three bloggy friends! They are all writing on the same topic today, so you can read this post and then follow the links to see their unique take on how we can ignite the fire in our marriages.

If we don’t take time to take stock, plan, and develop a vision for our family, it’s very unlikely that we actually live out our values. Other things will creep in and steal our time.  So what is a vision?

A vision for our family, I believe, is simply a plan of how you will live out your values.

God gives us specific visions about specific things we are to do, certainly. But sometimes I think we wait too much for God, and we don’t bother to work with what He’s already given us. And so today I’d like to give you some tools to turn the values that you and your husband already share into a vision for your marriage and for your family.

Here’s how it works:

I’ve got some printables to download that you can pray through and create an “action plan” to live out your vision.It’s divided into three sections: Character things (like what God wants to refine in you); The “Feel” of your home (like what vibe you want your home and family to give off); and Calling things (like what role God specifically has for you as a family).

I’d suggest working through this on three different “date nights”, or nights when you set aside time to talk. Stress to your husband that this isn’t about telling him what he is doing wrong; it’s about you both thinking and praying about where your family is heading. He gets input, too!  It helps you figure out what you value–because each family will value slightly different things–and then it encourages you to break these things down into small, manageable steps that you can do to work toward this goal.

I’d encourage you to work through this sheet with your husband. I’ve tried to keep it simple and relatively short, but with enough “meat” that you can talk about the issues.  I truly hope and pray this helps you.

Download the Printable Worksheets Here

http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Values-and-Vision.pdf

Most of us do value good things; we just have little vision of how to put that into practice. I pray that these worksheets help you do just that as you develop a true vision for what God wants to do in your family!

Ignite the Fire Challenge: Make a list with your husband about your future marriage dreams and talk about how you can work towards these dreams together. Then spend time praying over this list together.

My three blogging friends have also written on this today, and you can see what they have to say, too!
Courtney from WomenLivingWell, Darlene fromTimeWarpWife.com, and Jennifer fromUnveiledWife.com have all written awesome posts.

I Ignite the Fire Christian Marriage SeriesIt’s time for our Ignite the Fire Marriage blog series, with three bloggy friends! We’re all writing on the same topic today, so you can read this post and then follow the links to see their unique take on how we can ignite the fire in our marriages

I love these bloggers and their ignite the fire marriage series.  Now that we are empty-nesters we need a new plan for our lives together. Hope you take time to dream too!!  Renae

Lunch at Spiros and ferry ride to Seattle

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Are you living your heart's desire?

**what are the hopes that feel silly, the dreams that seem like dares, the quiet longings of your heart that get especially loud sometimes? 
**the capacity to use our imaginations, to have visions, to nurture desires is inherent in who God has created us to be.
**every dream or desire you have that comes from God is an invitation for more intimacy with Him.
**you really are made for more, more of Jesus, more of what he's created you to be, more of what he's called you to do. 
**less of you and more of all he is and all he has for you. 
**you have what it takes to see those dreams come true because you have a limitless God living in you.
**He has given you all you need and made you all you need to be. 
**you are made for more.
FROM www.holleygerth.com
You're made for a God-Sized dream
         Matt. 19:26